


Listen to the Sound of a New Tomorrow

by HubbleBubbleFoam



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Alastor is Bad at Feelings (Hazbin Hotel), Angels, Asexual Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff, Friendship, Getting Together, Injury, M/M, Romance, everyone is bad at feelings, kind of? I mean I guess so??, rated M because Husk sure does love his swear words, they’re both so dumb I love them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:01:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22659760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HubbleBubbleFoam/pseuds/HubbleBubbleFoam
Summary: Its extermination day and Husk isn’t back at the hotel. Alastor decides to go find him.
Relationships: Alastor/Husk (Hazbin Hotel)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 283





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from the song Do It, Try It by M83.
> 
> Does that title have literally anything to do with the actual fic?
> 
> No. No it does not.

Alastor eyed the clock on the wall, it was getting close to midnight.

He wasn’t back yet.   
  


There was still time though, the radio host reminded himself, there was still time for the cat to return to the hotel before the angels showed up. 

Alastor sighed, taking a sip of his whiskey. He wasn’t sure why he had become so nervous when it came to Husk’s well-being, but lately he kept worrying for the smaller demon. And when he wasn’t worried he was simply just thinking about the other.

It was all accompanied by an odd emotion that he couldn’t quite place, and had thus decided to ignore it. For now at least.

His thoughts were interrupted by another demon sitting down at the bar beside him. “Hey Al!” She said with a grin.

“Ah, Charlie! How’s my favorite business partner?” He asked enthusiastically, returning her smile.

“I mean, I could be better. Extermination day always makes me nervous.” She replied, her smile dimming slightly.

“I know what you mean, my dear.”

Charlie gave him a funny look. “Really? I thought you’d be one of the demons _least_ worried about the extermination.”

He chuckled. “Oh, I’m not particularly worried about it for me, I can handle myself just fine. It’s when others are being stupid during tonight that I that I start to worry.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, you know, Trying to bargain with the angels for their lives, attracting attention to themselves and others; whether it’s intentional or not; going outside during the extermination _alone_.” He seemed to put a lot of force on the last bit, glancing up at the clock again.

11:59

Alastor froze, an abrupt record scratch sound interrupted the quiet static that had been emitting from him, leaving only silence in its place.

“Huh, I don’t think I ever really thought about that...Al? What’s wrong?”

He didn’t respond, didn’t move. He was waiting, eyes flicking between the front doors and the clock.

And then…

12:00

The screaming outside started right on cue.

Alastor stood up, microphone appearing in his hand, and began walking towards the entrance.

“Al? Hey! Stop! What were you _just saying_ about demons going outside?” A hand grabbed his wrist. 

He stiffened and turned to glare at the princess, who quickly let go of him, taking a couple of steps back. “Sorry about that. But, um, as princess of Hell I command you not to go out. There’s a good chance of dying if you do.”

Alastor’s smile sharpened. “And what about our dear bartender, Charlie? What’s he supposed to do out there all by his lonesome?”

Her eyes widened. “You mean he’s still out?” 

Alastor nodded, somewhat bothered that Charlie seemingly hadn’t noticed the cat’s disappearance. 

He continued towards the entrance. “And though Husk is strong, no one can fight off an angel, especially alone. He needs help.” 

“Then-then I’m coming with you!” Charlie said determinedly.

Alastor laughed. “They wouldn’t be able to tell the Princess apart from any other demon! I’m not putting yet another life in danger.”

“Well, you can’t stop me.”

“Oh, I can.” He snapped his fingers. Shadows appeared, crawling across the doors and windows, covering them. “No one is to get in or out while I’m gone.”

By the time Charlie had realized what Alastor had done, he had vanished; leaving only a trail of shadow in his wake.

\- - - - - - - -

The streets of Pentagram City reeked of blood. More so than they usually did.

This was probably due to the alarming number of bodies piled everywhere, shredded corpses hung from buildings, blood and gore smeared the ground and walls; and standing amidst it all were the angels, staring around silently, waiting for their next victim.

Upon quick inspection, Alastor determined that none of the bodies were a familiar winged cat, so he moved on.

He teleported to every location Husk often frequented, bars, pubs, casinos, his house; but saw no sign of the demon. He decided to increase his efforts.

With a snap of his fingers, the shadows on the walls began pooling around him, awaiting instruction. “Find him. Keep him alive until I can get to his location.” Alastor commanded, voice full of static. The shadows nodded and sped off in every direction, searching the city.

Alastor then tapped on his microphone, deciding to try another method while he waited. “Husker, are you there? Can you hear me?”

No response. Maybe he wasn’t near a radio. Maybe there was one but he couldn’t reach it.

Maybe he wasn’t alive to hear it.

Alastor pushed away those thoughts. No, Husk had to be alive. He _had_ to be.

An interface in the static. A faint scene of Husk huddled in a dumpster surrounded by bodies swam through Alastor’s vision.

The shadows had found him.

He was in danger.

The deer wasted no time, he teleported to Husk’s location and found his shadows fending off two angels. 

There was movement out of the corner of his eye. He spotted Husk peeking out of the dumpster. Their eyes locked and the look of sheer relief on the cat’s face was enough to make Alastor’s heart hurt.

The radio demon snapped his fingers, and the floor opened up beneath the angels, swarms of black appendages reached out, grabbing the heavenly beings and holding them in place long enough for the shadows to impale them. 

That wouldn’t be enough to kill them of course, no mere demon could kill an angel, not even one as powerful as Alastor.

It would be able to hold them off for a moment though. Long enough for Alastor to rush to the dumpster. Inside sat Husk, fur soaked in blood that Alastor hoped was not his own. He was surrounded by a mass of demon bodies, all haphazardly shoved into the metal container with him. 

Before either of them could move, a sudden burst of light appeared, knocking Alastor to the ground.

The angels had freed themselves. 

In unison, they turned their heads to the radio demon, and approached him, eerily silent. 

Alastor summoned several more shadows, who leaped onto the angels, clawing desperately at their faces and wings. But they were easily thrown to the ground.

He summoned more, and more, but each group was weaker than the last, until the angels were able to get rid of them by barley flicking their wings. 

He was struggling to breath properly, he had used up too much of his magic and it was taking a toll on him. Realization dawned.

He was about to die. Permanently. For real this time.

The angels raised their arms above his head, swords appearing in hand.

He closed his eyes.

A sudden screech and a flurry of feathers caused them to snap back open. Husk was standing in front of him, wings spread wide, claws and teeth slashing at the angels.

The deer stood up shakily, summoning his microphone for balance, and watched as Husk landed blow after blow at the angels, expertly dodging their attacks.

Huh, maybe he didn’t have to worry about Husk as much as he thought he did-

His thought was cut short as one of the Angel’s swords pierced Husk’s side, blood spurting everywhere. The cat screamed.

Alastor moved without thinking. He practically flung himself at Husk, and as soon as he felt his hand collide with feathers he used the last bit of magic he had to teleport them out of there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like?? My first fic?? Or at least the first one I’m actually publishing. I have another bigger one in the works but I thought I should upload something small first to get feedback on my writing before I dedicate to something longer.
> 
> Any feedback/constructive criticism is highly appreciated! Thanks for reading! :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it turns out that this story is gonna have three chapters instead of two cause I didn’t want this chapter to get too long. More content! Yay!

Apparently in his split second decision, Alastor had taken them to a pub the two had often frequented. An odd choice, he would admit, but it was better than that alley.

The two collapsed on the floor, Alastor trying to catch his breath and calm his aching head, Colors swimming in his vision. Boy he had really done it this time, he wouldn’t be able to use magic for a week.

He was shaken back to reality when he noticed the pool of red rapidly growing around Husk.

His eyes widened as he rushed over to the other demon. Husk was lying on his side, wings curled around his shuddering body. Alastor gently turned him onto his back, paling at the sight of the wound.

Husk had been stabbed in the side, just missing his stomach. It didn’t appear to have gone through his entire body, but it was deep nonetheless. Husk whimpered, his eyes focusing on Alastor.

“You...you son of a bitch. God I hate you so fucking much-“ he cut himself off, coughing and clutching his side in pain.

“Shh, calm down, Husker.”

“Calm down? How the f-fuck am I supposed to be _calm,_ I’ve got a fucking _hole in my side_ you jackass!” More coughing.

Alastor stood up and began poking around the empty bar, hoping to find a med kit of some kind. He found one, but there were only a few bandages, a roll of gauze, and a handful of small yellow packets inside. He brought them back to Husk anyways.

“Husker what do I do?” He asked, trying to keep his voice level. 

The cat glanced at the meager medical supplies the deer had found.

“Th-those little yellow things have disinfectant in them. You’re gonna need to wash the wound and then smear some of that shit on it.” Answered Husk gruffly, clenching his teeth.

“You also need to find something to stop the bleeding.” He added as Alastor darted to the sink behind the bar, grabbing a handful of paper towels and dousing them in water. He returned to Husk and wiped away the blood still spilling from the cut.

He then snatched up one of the packets, all but dumping the substance onto the cut. Husk hissed in pain, body seizing up as Alastor smeared the stinging goop into the wound.

“What now?” Alastor asked, nervously twisting his claws together.

“Ugh, you need to stop the bleeding.” Grunted Husk, shuddering.

“Oh! Right! How do I do that exactly?”

“F-find a towel or something.”

Alastor did as he was told, rummaging around behind the bar until he was able to locate a lost and found basket. Inside was an array of things, including a fairly clean looking blanket. He brought it back over to Husk, who pressed it onto the wound, blood soaking into the fabric.

“God fucking d-damnit.” He hissed, wincing. “It’s probably gonna need stitches.” 

“Why, I can do that!”

“Oh like hell I’d trust _you_ of all people to stitch up something this bad.” 

Alastor crossed his arms. “I’ll have you know that my mother taught me how to sew. I’m actually quite good at it!” 

Husk eyed him suspiciously. “W-well regardless, all my supplies we’d need for it are at my house. So unless you can magic us there, we’re gonna need to figure something else out.”

Alastor rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. He didn’t have any magic left, it had been used when he was teleporting around the city and trying to fight off the angels. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to even teleport himself across the room, much less two people across town.

Then again though, Husk had lost a _lot_ of blood, and was starting to look very pale now.

“I don’t think I’m in a state to ‘magic’ us anywhere, but could carry you to your house.”

The cat raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you even know how to get there?”

“Hmmm, sort of! You’ll have to help me out though, my memory is a bit fuzzy at the moment.”

There was a beat of silence as Husk weighed his options. “Fine.” He sighed. “Just don’t fucking drop me or anything.”

Alastor laughed, scooping the cat up in his arms bridal style. “Husker, you’ve been stabbed by an angel’s sword. I don’t think dropping you would do much harm in comparison.”

Husk glared at him, tucking his wings in tighter to his body. “It would still fucking hurt though! _Especially_ after being stabbed!” 

Alastor merely chuckled, pushing open the front door and peeking his head out. There were no angels in sight, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any nearby. He slipped out the door and crept around to the alley next to the pub. 

The air was still and eerily silent, but a glance toward the clock tower told him that the extermination was still going on.

Where did everyone go?

Alastor ran quietly across the street and into another alley. He paused for a moment, checking that the coast was clear, before hurriedly making his way to the next alley and then the next one in an odd zig-zag pattern.

The only sound was Alastor’s shoes tapping on the pavement as he ran. Occasionally when he couldn’t remember which way to go, Husk would whisper and point him in the right direction, but otherwise the two didn’t speak. 

They didn’t dare to. It felt as though there was a heavy blanket of staticky silence laid across the entire city, and that if either of them tried to break it it all would collapse.

_Scrrrape._

The silence had been broken, but not by them. 

Alastor froze, ducking behind a garbage can. An angel had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. It was pacing in the middle of the street, it’s sword trailed across the asphalt beneath it idly as it walked.

He clutched Husk tightly against his chest. Both of their hearts were beating like crazy and he could barely tell which was which. They waited with bated breath, watching as the angel silently paced back and forth, back and forth. It looked as though it was waiting for something. As if daring someone to show themselves, daring someone to challenge it.

After what felt like an eternity, it finally walked off down the street and around the corner, sword still dragging behind it.

Alastor exhaled. The entire time it was as though he could _feel_ its gaze piercing into his soul, despite the fact that it never looked in his direction. 

God he hated the angels, nothing should be able to frighten him. His fear of them would’ve been embarrassing had everyone else not been equally terrified of the heavenly beings.

“What the actual _fuck.”_ Whispered Husk. Alastor slowly stood back up and made his way out of the alley. He glanced around before quietly running in the opposite direction.

They continued on like before, Husk would occasionally tell Alastor which way to go and Alastor would run from alley to alley towards the cat’s house, until finally, _finally,_ they arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! This was a fun chapter to write! I’m excited to work on the next one, it’s gonna have some fluff in it so y’all should look forward to that.
> 
> Feedback/constructive criticism is highly appreciated! Thanks for reading! :D


	3. Chapter 3

Husk fished a key out of his hat, unlocking the front door. They hurried inside, Alastor carefully pushing the door shut behind him with his foot.

“Hey so what the  _ fuck was all that shit _ out there?” Said Husk as soon as the door was locked

“I have no clue! Perhaps it was looking for a specific demon? Or maybe it was waiting for something?”

“Not just that one creepy angel, the whole thing. Why was it so quiet?”

Alastor was at a loss. It was unusual for the streets to be  _ that  _ empty, even during the extermination there was always a handful of stupid demons running around blindly, trying in vain to escape from the angels.

But this time there had been none of that, and it completely baffled him. He truly didn’t know what was going on.

He didn’t like not knowing, he hated the feeling of uncertainty gnawing at his insides.

But once again, he pushed those feelings and questions aside in favor of focusing on the cat in his arms and-oh my god there was blood all over his suit.

Damn. And it was one of his favorites too. Oh well, he knew how to get rid of blood stains; even if it was a bit of a hassle.

“Husker where’s your sewing supplies?” He asked, placing Husk on the couch. He stretched his arms, sore from carrying another person for so long. The cat adjusted his wings to a more comfortable position and raised an eyebrow at the deer.

“You mean my medical kit? It’s under the sink in the bathroom.” 

Alastor retrieved the box, it was larger and had way more supplies than the one at the pub. Digging around in it, he found a needle, some strong looking thread, and about a hundred rolls of clean white bandages.

“These?” He asked, holding them up. Husk nodded.

Alastor moved so he was kneeling beside the couch, needle and thread in hand. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to move that, my friend.” He said, gesturing to the wing currently blocking his view of the wound. The cat frowned, wing remaining firmly in its place.

“Husker, I did not carry you all the way here and ruin my favorite suit for you to just bleed out now. Let me help you.” He said forcefully.

Husk paused, giving the deer an odd look. It gave Alastor a chance to gently push the wing away, removing the now completely blood soaked blanket and getting to work stitching up the wound, much to the other’s dismay.

“I would rather fix it myself.” He began, flinching as the needle pierced his skin. 

“Nonsense! You are in no condition to do such a thing right now.” Replied Alastor cheerfully. “Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I made you take care of something this bad by yourself?” 

Husk rolled his eyes and began picking at the clumps of dried blood in his fur, muttering “Jackass.” under his breath. 

It was quiet for a few minutes as Alastor worked, knitting the cat’s body back together stitch by stitch, ignoring the red on his claws just as he was ignoring the thoughts and feelings in his head.

Well, ignoring most of them. He had many questions after all, and hated the silence. Especially silences between him and Husk.

“So, what were you doing outside during the extermination anyways?” He asked, taking a break to wipe the blood from his hands and look over at the cat.

Husk shrugged, wincing at the movement. “I wanted a drink and was tired of the shit at the hotel. I guess I forgot what today was.” He looked away.

Alastor gave him a skeptical look. “You didn’t check the clock tower? Or see any of the signs posted everywhere about it?”

“Guess not.”

“...I don’t believe that’s all of it.” Replied the deer as he continued stitching.

Husk growled “What kinda fucking answer do you want? That I went out because I thought it would be fun to watch everyone die? Because I wanted to get someone killed? Because I had a death wish? Sorry pal, but I’m not exciting enough to actually do any of that.”

Alastor paused. A part of what Husk had said didn’t sit with him quite right, but he let it slide in favor of keeping the cat from getting defensive and shutting down the conversation.

“Why were you in a dumpster?” He asked instead.

Husk scoffed “What’s with the sudden interrogation, asshole?”

“It’s a fair question! It’s not often you find your best friend squirreled away in a dumpster covered in blood.” Husk shifted slightly at the term ‘best friend.’

“Look, fine, here’s what happened: I was at a bar and a buncha demons came running in losing their shit about the angels outside. That’s when it finally hit me that oh yeah! Its the fucking purge day. So I snuck out the back and booked it to that alley to hide.”

He gave his bloodied fur a scathing look. “The dumpster already had a bunch of dead guys in it so I thought it would be good for hiding. Clearly I was wrong.”

Alastor hummed “Well it’s a good thing I found you when I did! You would’ve been a goner!” He cut the thread and leaned back to examine his work. 

The stitches were...fairly even. Sort of. In any case, there was significantly less blood coming out, which tended to be a good sign.

“Not bad. I could’ve done better but whatever.” Muttered the cat, looking at the stitching critically. The deer grinned, that odd warm feeling bubbling up in his chest. 

It was quiet for a moment as Alastor pondered his next question. “Did you leave because you didn’t like the alcohol at the hotel?” He asked somewhat timidly. Husk gave him a surprised look.

“Because if so I can ‘magic up’ some different kinds that you might like better.”

“Uh...Yeah. That would be cool.” Husk responded slowly. “Thanks, Al.”

“No problem, my friend! While I’m at it, is there anything else at the hotel that you would like changed? Anything else bothering you?” 

Alastor wasn’t sure why he was being so charitable towards Husk at the moment. Perhaps the realization that the cat had almost died was catching up with him. Perhaps it was because he wanted to make Husk happy. Perhaps it was because that feeling was rearing its head yet again. 

Or maybe it was a mix of all three, he couldn’t tell.

Husk seemed equally confused about this odd behavior. “I...What? I mean, I guess there’s some shit I don’t particularly like about it.”   
  


“Such as?”

Husk seemed to consider this for a moment before folding his arms with a frown. “Just...all of it. Charlie’s stupid fucking optimism pisses me off way more then it probably should; I fucking hate having to talk to morons all day long and work my ass off for no pay or compensation or  _ anything _ ” 

He was starting to get riled up now, voice getting louder.

“I hate that prick Angel Dust, I hate working, I hate my room, I hate  _ everything  _ about that place! I swear the only good things are the free booze and the fact that I get to see you everyday-“

He cut himself off, a look that clearly read ‘I should  _ not  _ have said that’ on his face.

Alastor, meanwhile, froze as that emotion suddenly went haywire, causing his heart to do several backflips. He was starting to think that it wasn’t an emotion at all, and was instead some kind of serious medical condition.

“...That’s your favorite thing about the hotel? Getting to see me more often?” Alastor asked in amazement as soon as he stopped feeling as though he was dying.

Husk looked like he’d very much prefer to be somewhere else. He grumbled a tired “I’m not nearly drunk enough for this” under his breath before turning back to face Alastor with a sigh, dragging a paw down his face.

“Fine. Yeah. So I don’t  _ actually _ hate you, big fucking surprise.” He turned away again, missing the look of pure joy that lit up the other’s face.

“...You know Husker, seeing you everyday is my favorite thing about the hotel.” Alastor responded after a moment of stunned silence. Husk blinked at him.

“Oh, cool.”

“Yes, in fact, you’re my favorite person in general! I enjoy spending time with you much more than I enjoy spending time with others!”

Husk narrowed his eyes, a questioning look on his face. “D’you mean that in like...a friendly way or a…” he paused, looking for the right word “...more than friendly way? A romantic way?”

It clicked.

“Oh is  _ that  _ what I've been feeling? I thought I was suffering from cardiac arrest!” Laughed Alastor. “Glad to know I’m not dying again!”

Husk stared, dumbfounded. “You, wait-I was-you-you  _ like  _ me?” He stuttered. “Like-like me?”

“That’s a very elementary way of putting it but yes it appears so!” Alastor put a claw on his chin in thought “I don’t think I’ve ever like-liked someone before; as you so elegantly put it. This is a new feeling for me!”

The grin on his face somehow grew even wider. “Oh how exciting! This will be  _ very _ entertaining!” Then he paused, giving Husk a curious look. “That is, if you feel the same?”

Husk appeared to be...malfunctioning was the word that came to mind. He was still as a statue and was staring at Alastor with eyes the size of saucers. Alastor tapped the cat’s nose. “Husker are you there?” 

Husk flinched away, automatically muttering a “fuck you” as he shoved the deer’s claws away from his face.

“Hm, I’m afraid we’ll have to skip that whole  _ aspect _ if you do reciprocate, as I strongly dislike physical-“

“Yeah, yeah, yeah I know you hate sex, everyone is well aware of that little fact.” Interrupted Husk with an eye roll. “I’m not really a fan of it either. I mean, I wouldn’t label myself as ‘asexual’ or whatever you are, I ain’t repulsed by it or anything, but I don’t particularly need it. Or at the very least I don’t need it as much as someone like Angel would.”

“Oh! Well that’s good to know, I suppose.” Alastor replied, relaxing significantly. 

There was an awkward silence. “... _ Do _ you feel the same?” He asked after a moment, voice small and lacking static.

Husk looked away, grumbling something not particularly friendly, before he slapped his paw over his face with a sigh and groaned. “Ugh fine, yeah I do...like-like you back.” He cringed “God we sound like fucking middle schoolers right now.”

Alastor chuckled. “You’re the one that said ‘like-like’ in the first place, my dear! I was merely following your example.” 

Husk glared. “Fuck you. Now finish making sure I don’t bleed to death or some shit.” Alastor, happy to make certain that the cat wouldn’t die, wrapped the bandages around Husk’s torso, checking that they were in place.

“Well I’m still alive, so good job in that department I guess.” Grunted Husk as he adjusted the bandages slightly. Alastor beamed at him.

“So, what happens now?” Asked the deer, standing up.

Husk shrugged, wincing slightly at the movement. “I don’t fucking know. To be honest you seem to be way more calm about all of this than I am.”

“Hmmm, well we’ll worry about that whole relationship thing later I suppose.” Replied Alastor easily, waving his hand as though he was he was simply brushing off some dust.

“As for right this moment, what would you like to do? Should I leave you alone for a bit or do you want to try to get all that blood off of you or-“

The deer yelped, a loud record scratch echoing through the room, as Husk suddenly grabbed his arm, yanking Alastor down onto the couch. The cat then all but wrapped himself around the deer, eyes firmly glued to the floor the entire time.

Alastor, on the other hand, was trying desperately not to tear the cat off of him. He despised being touched without warning. This? Being grabbed and having someone wrapped around him in an all enveloping side hug? While he did enjoy hugs, if it had been anyone else he would’ve stabbed their eyes out, torn them limb from limb, and then thrown their remains into a fire pit.

Husk was  _ incredibly  _ lucky that Alastor loved him, and the cat clearly knew it.

After a moment of shocked static, Alastor blinked and pulled his arm free from the grasp of the feline, wrapping it around Husk’s shoulders instead. That was better, at least.

They sat there like that for who knows how long. At some point Alastor had begun absentmindedly petting Husk’s ears, pointedly ignoring the scratchy feeling of matted and blood crusted fur against his claws.

What a sight they were. 

The infamous Radio Demon, sitting on a stained and dirty old couch, with a giant winged cat caked in blood and bandages holding tightly to his side, purring loudly.

He loved it.

Alastor eventually fell asleep, his arms wrapped snugly around the other demon, chin resting atop the other’s head.

He loved this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaannnddd the end! I hope you guys enjoyed this little thing, sorry if they were OOC or the pacing was kinda weird at any points.
> 
> Any constructive criticism/feedback is highly appreciated! Thanks for reading! :D


End file.
